It’s been quite a few long months but I’m happy to report that we are finally on the up swing of things with this very sensitive bay mare! Sadie is a 4yo and has recently learned she can say no… except when she says it she means it. It’s taken a lot of patience and understanding to get where we are. She’s constantly reminding us to listen and not demand. Horses like this are worth their weight in gold❤️
Finley
Quick and short jump school for Finley today! Such a good boy😁
Loading practice
Come with me to do a loading session with a horse who had a bad experience last month resulting in lots of stitches to his face. Trailer loading shouldn’t be stressful! Teach your partner how to load stress free
Celeste
Celeste got to take a field trip to Layfield today! A great outing for her, we were able to take advantage of the forward energy and managed quite a bit of canter for a change!!
Luna and Judy
Transformation videos will forever be my favorite. I’m so incredibly proud of the hard work that’s been put in on both the horse and rider’s part! A year ago Luna was a hot, hormonal mess. Nobody enjoyed riding her and she quickly turned into a pasture pet when Sunny was able to be started under saddle. Judy has spent the last 6 months working closely with Sunny and I, gaining knowledge and confidence in and out of the saddle. Learning about feel and most importantly learning to stay calm! Riding is not easy and progress isn’t linear. Just because you have a horse that can do the job, doesn’t mean you’re the best rider for your horse. Put in the work and be the rider that your horse deserves!
Nothing ever phases this guy! So much fun working with him #horses #chincoteague #horsepower #horseriding #equestrian
Can’t help but brag on these two. Sunny has been under saddle for about 2 months and Judy has been right along side nearly every step of the way, riding him as much as she can. Him and I have been working in the ring for a few weeks but Judy found some confidence today and we took advantage of it! I’ve been teaching Judy for about a year now and have honestly never seen her trot this much. Ever. She’s found a new safe place on her golden pony and it makes my heart SO happy. While I can agree that green + green = black and blue, this is why it’s important to have a trainer that works with you. We work together as a team to find the best ways to work with Sunny to ensure his happiness and training. Green riders CAN produce green horses. But you need a trainer. And consistency!
Think I may have made a reining pony…👀
I know for many this doesn’t look like much, but if you had seen this pony a year ago, you would never had thought he’d be this far by now! Sunny has been a very challenging pony since the day I met him. Pushy, mouthy, and borderline dangerous some days. We couldn’t handle him or be around him without a whip and chain simply to keep him off of us. After 2 months at Johnson Equestrian, LLC his ground manners had vastly improved (HUGE thanks to Kerra!!) and he had started taking a saddle and lunging. He had a minor setback a couple months after coming home because we gave him some time off and he thought that meant he could return to his old ways… We’ve learned that Sunny enjoys having a job and thrives off of work. So back to a program he went, and now look at him! He’s a pony that shows us the holes in his training and forces us to not skip a step. This is only one month into his under saddle training and we’re just taking our time and having fun. I am loving bringing him along and so thankful to have the opportunity to show everybody he’s not as bad as they think❤️
P.S. He’s making his show debut this weekend😉 we’ll be at Secret Pride Stables and showing in the baby green!
Just in time for his birthday, Sunny had his first intentional (…😅) canter under saddle today!! He was AMAZING and had to show off his stopping skills too. Our go button is still a work in progress but if there’s anything this pony will do, he’ll stop!
Training can’t be all work all the time… sometimes we have a little fun! Sunny had his second ride in the ring today and did SUPER!! His steering is getting great and he’s also mastered picking me up from the mounting block. Such a good little man🤩
Sunny had his first ride in the ring!! His go and stop buttons have gotten great, now we are mastering steering. He finds that quite easy at the walk but trotting needs some work. He’ll get there in no time😁
A look into a training session with Sunny!
As you know, Sunny is a coming 3yo and will be started under saddle this month! We finally got our round pen to make working with him much easier and safer. Today was lunging 101 and working on flexion and steering. Once I’m confident he understands the steering and stopping, we’ll be doing our first ride😎
Finley had a short trailer loading session today! He has definitely not been the easiest horse to load. He goes through phases where loading is cool, other times the trailer is a dungeon he wants no parts of😳 here you guys can watch him work through the thoughts and emotions he was having. We ended with him self loading and allowing me to close the butt bar with no panic at all. Such a smart boy!
Yankee is still available! Price reduced to low low 4’s if sold by the end of the week. This was him today after having over a week off (probably 2-3) with construction going on right next to the ring. Boards falling, drills going, this guy didn’t bat an eye. Perfect for a teen wanting their first project horse! 3 yo 16.2hh and still growing. Located in Pocomoke, MD. PM for more info
Classic baby horse wiggles😆 Yankee has had 3 rides this past week! Our current focus with Yankee is to gain control of his shoulder and hind end in his turns. We have short trot intervals in between our walk work, hopefully soon to be cantering. Once he’s a little more forward thinking he’ll be able to process the stretch and impulsion we need from him. As for now we just want a quiet willing partner so we can show him the ropes.
Training isn’t always pretty and I refuse to be that person that only posts the pretty stuff. Baby horses will be baby horses. It’s our job to show them the way not expect them to perform to perfection. I don’t believe in hour long sessions for a young horse unless absolutely warranted, they don’t have the mental capacity. Normalize 20 minute training sessions!!!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for… Yankee’s first ride with me! Nothing short of perfect. This video recaps basically our entire session, short and sweet. This week I will up my expectations for him but to start we kept it extremely simple. Once he learns to stretch and come into the contact, he’s going to be fancyyyy😍
